Serbian Armed Forces

Combined military forces of Serbia

Serbian Armed Forces

Bojcка Србије

Emblem of the Serbian Armed Forces

Founded| 6 May 1830; 195 years ago (1830-05-06)
Current form| 8 June 2006[1]
Service branches|

* Army
* Air Force and Air Defence

Headquarters| Belgrade, Serbia
Leadership
Commander-in-chief| President Aleksandar Vučić
Minister of Defence| Bratislav Gašić
Chief of the General Staff| General Milan Mojsilović
Personnel
Military age| 18 years of age
Conscription| No
Available for
military service| 2,848,803, age 15–49 (2022[5])
Fit for
military service| 2,250,554, age 15–49 (2022[5])
Reaching military
age annually| 72,180 (2022[5])
Active personnel| 22,500[2]
Reserve personnel| 2,000 (active reserve)[3]
600,000 (passive reserve)
Deployed personnel| 336[4]
Expenditure
Budget| $2.42 billion (2025)[6][7]
Percent of GDP| 2.5% (2025)[8]
Industry
Domestic suppliers| Yugoimport SDPR (armored vehicles and artillery systems)
Zastava Arms (firearms)
Prvi Partizan (small-caliber ammunition)
Sloboda (large-caliber ammunition)
Krušik (large-caliber ammunition)
Milan Blagojević (gunpowder)
Utva (trainer aircraft and drones)
FAP (light utility vehicles)
Zastava Tervo (light utility vehicles)
Yumco (combat and service uniforms)
Mile Dragić (combat helmets and ballistic vests)
Foreign suppliers|  France
China
Russia
Germany
Israel
Annual exports| $449 million (2021)[9]
Related articles
History| History of the Serbian Army
History of the Serbian Air Force
Ranks| Military ranks of Serbia

The Serbian Armed Forces (Serbian: Војска Србије, romanized: Vojska Srbije) is the military of Serbia.

The President of the Republic acts as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, while administration and defence policy is carried out by the Government through the Ministry of Defence. The highest operational authority, in-charge of the deployment and preparation of the armed forces in peace and war, is the General Staff.

Military service is voluntary, though conscription may occur in wartime. As of 2025,[update] Serbia is ranked 63 out of 145 countries considered for the annual GFP review.[10]

The Serbian Armed Forces consists of two branches: Serbian Army and Serbian Air Force and Air Defence.

## History

[edit]

Main article: Military history of Serbia

Main article: History of the Serbian Army

Main article: History of the Serbian Air Force

Serbia has a long military tradition dating to early medieval period. The modern Serbian military dates back to the Serbian Revolution which started in 1804 with the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman occupation of Serbia. The victories in the battles of Ivankovac (1805), Mišar (August 1806), Deligrad (December 1806) and Belgrade (November–December 1806), led to the establishment of the Principality of Serbia in 1817. The subsequent Second Serbian Uprising of 1815–1817 led to full independence and recognition of the Kingdom of Serbia and weakened the Ottoman dominance in the Balkans. In November 1885 the Serbo-Bulgarian War occurred following Bulgarian unification and resulted in a Bulgarian victory. In 1912 the First Balkan War (1912–1913) erupted between the Ottoman Empire and the Balkan League (Serbia, Greece, Montenegro and Bulgaria). Balkan League victories in the Battle of Kumanovo (October 1912), the Battle of Prilep (November 1912), the Battle of Monastir (November 1912), the Battle of Adrianople (November 1912 to March 1913), and the Siege of Scutari (October 1912 to April 1913) resulted in the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, which lost most of its remaining Balkan territories per the Treaty of London (May 1913). Shortly after, the Second Balkan War (June to August, 1913) broke out when Bulgaria, dissatisfied with the division of territory, declared war against its former allies, Serbia and Greece. Following a string of defeats, Bulgaria requested an armistice and signed the 1913 Treaty of Bucharest, formally ending the war.

Serbia's independence and growing influence threatened neighboring Austria-Hungary which led to the Bosnian crisis of 1908–09. Consequently, from 1901, all Serbian males between the ages of 21 and 46 became liable for general mobilization.[11] Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in June 1914, Austria-Hungary implicated Serbians and declared war on Serbia (July 1914), which marked the beginning of the First World War of 1914–1918. Serbian forces repelled three consecutive invasions by Austria in 1914, securing the first major victories of the war for the Allies, but were eventually overwhelmed by the combined forces of the Central Powers (October–November 1915) and forced to retreat through Albania (1915–1916) to the Greek island of Corfu (1915–1916).

Serbian military activity after World War I took place in the context of various Yugoslav armies until the break-up of Yugoslavia in the 1990s and the restoration of Serbia as an independent state in 2006.

## Organization

[edit]

The Serbian Armed Forces are commanded by the General Staff corp of senior officers. The general staff is led by the Chief of the General Staff. The President who is the Commander-in-Chief appoints the Chief of the General Staff on the suggestion of the minister of defense.[12] The current Chief of the General Staff is General Milan Mojsilović.

Organization of the Serbian Armed Forces

### Service branches

[edit]

The armed forces consist of the following service branches:

* Serbian Army
* Serbian Air Force and Air Defence

#### Serbian Army

[edit]

Main article: Serbian Army

The Serbian Army (Kopnena vojska Srbije \- KoV) is the land-based and the largest component of the armed forces consisting of: infantry, armoured, artillery, engineering units as well as River Flotilla. It is responsible for defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia; participating in peacekeeping operations; and providing humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

#### Serbian Air Force and Air Defence

[edit]

Main article: Serbian Air Force and Air Defence

The Serbian Air Force and Air Defence (Ratno vazduhoplovstvo i protivvazduhoplovna odbrana Vojske Srbije \- RViPVO) is the aviation and anti-aircraft defence based component of the armed forces consisting of: aviation, anti-aircraft, surveillance and reconnaissance units. Its mission is to guard and protect the sovereignty of Serbian airspace, and jointly with the Army, to protect territorial integrity.

### Command structure

[edit]

Command structure of the Serbian Armed Forces is centered around General Staff as the highest command authority, and three separate commands: one for each of the branches (Army Command and Air Force and Air Defence Command) and one responsible for training (Training Command).

#### General Staff

[edit]

Main article: Serbian General Staff

The Serbian General Staff (Generalštab Vojske Srbije) makes strategic and tactical preparations and procedures for use during peacetime and war. Special forces (63rd Parachute Brigade and 72nd Brigade for Special Operations) are under direct command of the Chief of the General Staff. Organizational units of the Armed Forces subordinated to the General Staff are: Guard, Signal Brigade, Central Logistics Base, 224th Center for Electronic Action, Technical Testing Center, Peacekeeping Operations Center, as well as the Directorate of Military Police (which includes Criminal Investigative Group and Detachment of the Military Police for Special Operations "Cobras").[13]

#### Army Command

[edit]

Army Command (Komanda Kopnene vojske) is responsible for unitary, administrative and operational control of the Army. Army Command headquarters is in Niš.

#### Air Force and Air Defence Command

[edit]

Air Force and Air Defence Command (Komanda Ratnog vazduhoplovstva i protivvazduhoplovne odbrane) is responsible for unitary, administrative and operational control of the Air Force and Air Defence. Its headquarters is in Zemun.

#### Training Command

[edit]

The Training Command (Komanda za obuku) is responsible for providing basic and specialist training for soldiers, non-commissioned officers and officers of Serbian Armed Forces as well the members of foreign armies. It also serves the role of maintaining the reserve regional brigade structure of the Serbian Armed Forces.

## Equipment

[edit]

Main article: List of equipment of the Serbian Armed Forces

The Serbian Armed Forces has a wide variety of equipment, mix of older Yugoslav and Soviet products (dating back to the 1980s and even 1970s) and new equipment, either domestically-produced from Serbian defence contractors or acquired from foreign producers (main suppliers being France, China, Russia, and to a lesser extent Germany).

Inventory of Serbian Army includes: 242 tanks (30 Russian T-72 B1MS and 212 Yugoslav-made M-84), 90 self-propelled howitzers (18 domestically-produced Nora B-52 and 72 Soviet-made Gvozdika), 60 Yugoslav-made M-77 Oganj MRLs, 320 Yugoslav-made BVP M-80 infantry fighting vehicles, 50 domestically-produced Lazar armoured personnel carriers, over 130 MRAPs and other armoured vehicles (including 70 domestically-produced Miloš) as well as 18 pieces of domestically-produced PASARS-16 short-range air-defence missile system (armed with total of 50 French Mistral 3 missiles).[14][15]

Serbian Air Force and Air Defense has in operational use the following equipment: 13 Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter aircraft (10 of which are modernized to SM standard and armed with R-77 missiles),[16] 13 Yugoslav-made J-22 attack aircraft, 2 Spanish C-295 transport aircraft,[17] 15 Russian Mi-35 attack helicopter (armed with Ataka missiles),[18] 15 German H145M utility helicopters (of which ten are armed with HForce weapon system), 13 Russian Mi-17 utility helicopters, Chinese CH-95 and CH-92 combat drones, Chinese HQ-22 and HQ-17 long- and medium-range air-defence missile systems (4 and 3 batteries respectively),[19] as well as one battery of Russian Pantsir medium-range air-defence missile system (2 more on order but delivery postponed due to sanctions on Russia).

In last several years Serbia has embarked on ambitious programme of equipment modernisation and acquisition. Whenever possible, the Serbian Ministry of Defence favors products that are manufactured in Serbia such as: Lazar armoured personnel carriers, Miloš light armored infantry vehicles, Nora B-52 artillery systems, Lasta 95 training aircraft. Largest procurement of foreign equipment recently included: Chinese HQ-22 and HQ-17 air-defence missile systems, Airbus H145M utility helicopters, Russian Mi-35 attack helicopters as well as various missile and radar acquisitions (French Ground Master 400 and Ground Master 200 long- and medium-range radar systems, French surface-to-air Mistral for PASARS vehicles; Russian R-77 air-to-air BVR missiles for MiG-29 fighter aircraft, Ataka air-to-surface missiles for Mi-35 attack helicopters and Kornet man-portable anti-tank guided missiles).

Significant acquisitions of military equipment are also planned in the near future. Purchase of 12 new French Rafale multirole fighter aircraft was announced in 2024 with the aim of replacing MiG-29 which will be in service until the end of the 2020s.[20] Israeli PULS multiple rocket launcher systems was purchased in 2024 as well, with deliveries expected by 2027.[21]

* M84AS2 tank

* Lazar 3 armored personnel carrier

* Miloš armored vehicle

* PASARS-16 anti-aircraft artillery system

* M-77 Oganj multiple rocket launcher

* Nora B-52 self-propelled howitzer

* MiG-29 fighter aircraft

* C-295 transport aircraft

* Mi-35 attack helicopter

* H145M utility helicopter

* CH-95 combat drone

* HQ-22 long-range air-defence missile system

* Neštin-class river minesweeper

* Ground Master 400 long-range radar system

* Repellent-1 electronic warfare system

## Personnel

[edit]

The Serbian Armed Forces are composed entirely of professionals and volunteers following the suspension of mandatory military service in 2011.

### Active personnel

[edit]

There are 22,500 active members: 4,200 officers, 6,500 non-commissioned officers, 8,200 active-duty soldiers and 3,500 civilians in volunteer military service.[2] It breaks down as follows:

* General Staff (including attached units: special forces brigades, Guard, Signal Brigade, logistics, etc.): 4,300
* Army Command: 13,200
* Air Force and Air Defence Command: 3,000
* Training Command: 2,300

### Reserve force

[edit]

The reserve force is composed of an active reserve and passive (i.e. war-time) reserve. The active reserve forces have 2,000 members and they are generally required to perform 45 days of military service per year.[3] They are assigned to one of four reserve territorial brigades (Banat Brigade, Belgrade Brigade, Timok Brigade and Rasina Brigade), each having active HQ, command company and logistics company predicted for rapid deployment in case of war. The passive reserve totals about 600,000 citizens with past military training or experience and is activated only in the events of war.[3]

## Traditions

[edit]

### Motto

[edit]

Motto of the Serbian Armed Forces is "For Freedom and Honour of the Fatherland" (Za slobodu i čast Otadžbine) and is found on uniforms as well as on brigade flags.

### Armed Forces Day

[edit]

Serbian Armed Forces Day (Dan Vojske Srbije) is marked on 23 April, the anniversary of the Second Serbian Uprising. On that day in 1815, in Takovo, prominent elders met and decided to start the fight for liberation of Serbia from the Turkish authorities, which eventually led to the free and independent Serbia.

### Patron Saint

[edit]

The patron saint (krsna slava) of the Serbian Armed Forces is Saint Stefan Visoki. The first celebration was held in 2023; earlier that year, the Holy Council of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church decided that the patron saint of the Serbian Armed Forces should be Saint Stefan Visoki, 15th-century Serbian ruler and saint, remembered as a wise statesman and a successful military leader.[22]

### Marches

[edit]

High-stepping in a parade in 2014

The Serbian military was the first to pioneer the high-step as a military step. It is similar to the goose step, with the difference being that the knee is bent at the top of the arc. It was used by the Royal Yugoslav Army and at the time was called the "male step". The Yugoslav People's Army abandoned it after World War II, being in use for over two decades before being replaced by high-stepping in the 1975 Victory Day Parade, to assert itself as independent from Soviet influence. High-stepping is still used today by Serbian Armed Forces, and is also utilized by the militaries of North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

### March Music

[edit]

There are several marches in use in Serbian Armed Forces. The standard one is Parade March (Paradni marš), while the Guard uses its own Guard March (Gardijski marš) as standard march music. Also frequently used and the most popular and recognizable by the general public in Serbia is famous March on the Drina (Marš na Drinu). Other frequently used march is Vojvoda Stepa Stepanović March (Marš vojvode Stepe Stepanovića).

## Deployments

[edit]

The Serbian Armed Forces actively take part in numerous multinational peacekeeping missions.[4]

Country | Mission | Number of personnel

|
|

Cyprus | UNFICYP | 1 staff officer, 2 observers, 6 non-commissioned officers and 37 infantry
Central African Republic | MINUSCA | 3 staff officers, 2 observers, 68 medical infantry
Central African Republic  | EUTM RCA | 7 medical infantry
DR Congo | MONUC | 2 staff officers, 2 doctors and 4 technicians
Lebanon | UNIFIL | 8 staff officers, 5 national support element and 164 infantry
Liberia  | UNMIL | 1 officer as military observers
Mali | EUTM Mali | 3 medical infantry
Middle East | UNTSO | 1 officer
Somalia | EUTM Somalia | Medical Corps team including 1 staff officer, 1 doctor and 3 medical technicians
Somalia  | EUNAVFOR | 4 OHQ staff officers, 1 OHQ non-commissioned officer, 2 FHQ staff officers and 12 members of AVPD

## See also

[edit]

* Military history of Serbia
* Military ranks of Serbia

## Citations

[edit]

1. ^ "Istorijat Vojske Srbije". Vojska Srbije. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
2. ^ a b "Brojnost vojski Srbije, Hrvatske, BiH, Crne Gore i Severne Makedonije u 2021". 28 December 2021.
3. ^ a b c "Iz stroja pravo na posao" (in Serbian). Večernje novosti. 22 March 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
4. ^ a b "Министарство одбране Републике Србије - Актуелне мултинационалне операције".
5. ^ "Age and Sex - Data by Settlement" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2023-05-25.
6. ^ https://www.oblakodermagazin.rs/rekordna-izdvajanja-u-budzetu-za-2025-godinu-namenjena-vojsci/ [bare URL]
7. ^ https://rs.bloombergadria.com/ekonomija/srbija/70374/uvodenje-vojnog-roka-kostace-86-miliona-evra/news/ [bare URL]
8. ^ https://rs.bloombergadria.com/ekonomija/srbija/70374/uvodenje-vojnog-roka-kostace-86-miliona-evra/news/ [bare URL]
9. ^ "Gde Srbija izvozi naoružanje i vojnu opremu - objavljen godišnji izveštaj". 20 April 2023.
10. ^ "2024 Military Strength Ranking". www.globalfirepower.com. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
11. ^ "Serbian Army in WWI". Archived from the original on 2009-03-23.
12. ^ "Law on the Serbian Army".
13. ^ "Generalštab Vojske Srbije" (in Serbian). www.vs.rs.
14. ^ "[PARTNER 2021] Sve o oklopnim premijerama, modernizacijama i modifikacijama". 22 October 2021.
15. ^ "Vučić: Kupili smo 18 sistema Mistral sa 50 raketa". 16 July 2019.
16. ^ "Srpski MiG-ovi 29 biće naoružani raketama vazduh-vazduh R-77". 27 April 2022.
17. ^ "RTS :: Društvo :: Vojsci Srbije isporučen i drugi transporter, zamena za čuveni sovjetski "Antonov-26"". www.rts.rs. Retrieved 2024-03-12.
18. ^ Vojinovic, Petar (2023-11-23). "[POSLEDNJA VEST] Na Batajnici prikazani helikopteri Mi-35P nabavljeni sa Kipra, kupljena 22 Talesova radara, najavljena kupovina još Erbasovih helikoptera". Tango Six (in Serbian). Retrieved 2024-03-12.
19. ^ "[EKSKLUZIVNO] Prvi detalji i opis karakteristika: Prišli smo većini vozila u sastavu jedne baterije PVO sistema FK-3". 2 May 2022.
20. ^ "Vučić: Srbija pregovara o kupovini dve eskadrile Rafala već godinu dana, nabavlja borbene bespilotne letelice Bajraktar, kineske borbene bespilotne letelice CH-95, u utorak ili sredu "predstavljamo ponos srpske vojske"". 9 April 2022.
21. ^ https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2025-01-01/ty-article/.premium/serbia-buys-advanced-artillery-and-drones-from-israels-elbit-systems/00000194-1ebe-dbdd-add5-1ebf13af0000 [bare URL]
22. ^ "Krsna slava Vojske Srbije | Vojska Srbije". www.vs.rs. Retrieved 2024-03-12.

## References

[edit]

* IISS (2020). The Military Balance 2020. Routledge. ISBN 978-0367466398.

## External links

[edit]

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